Olive Oil Cake With Candied Fennel

  

Olive Oil Cake With Candied Fennel

Fennel is the bulb vegetable with a very subtle licorice flavor.
Shannon Swindle is executive pastry chef of Italian restaurants Funke in Beverly Hills and Felix in Venice, and he’s probably got a recipe or a hundred in his back pocket when it comes to simple yet impressive desserts. This olive oil cake is one of them: lush, comforting and not too sweet. He’s tweaked the recipe over the years to come up with just the right amount of olive oil and crème fraîche (or sour cream) for the type of cake you can have with your coffee for breakfast or serve to guests for a special occasion. He bakes his cake in a large 10-inch cake pan that’s 3 inches high. You also could use 8- by 2-inch pans; just mind the baking time. Start checking it for doneness (the top will be firm) at 40 minutes. 

You can add whatever fruit is in season as garnish. In the fall he likes to make candied fennel. This recipe makes more candied fennel than you’ll need for the cake, 
but it keeps well. (The candied fennel recipe is also easily halved.)

Ingredients:
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
500 grams (2 ½ cups) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
3 lemons, zested
10 grams (1 ¾ teaspoons) baking soda
3 grams (¾ teaspoon) baking powder
5 eggs
400 grams (2 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
500 grams (2 cups) crème fraîche or sour cream
Candied Fennel
3 fennel bulbs
2 cups water
400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon sambuca (optional)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10- by 3-inch cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sugar, salt, lemon zest, baking soda and baking powder. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Mix in the flour until incorporated. Add the crème fraiche (or sour cream) and mix until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake in a conventional oven, or in a convection oven on low fan, until firm on top, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Cool completely before unmolding and slicing. Store wrapped well at room temperature for several days.

While the cake is baking, make the candied fennel. Remove any fennel tops and fronds and reserve for garnish or another use. Wash the bulbs well and peel off any discolored parts. Cut the bulbs in half and slice lengthwise about 1/16 of an inch thick on a mandolin.

Put the sliced fennel, water, sugar and salt in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir well and simmer gently over low heat until translucent, 30 to 45 minutes. 

Skim any foam that forms on the surface. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice and sambuca, if using. Cool to room temperature. Use immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Charred Fennel Soup With Walnut Relish

                     Charred Fennel Soup With Walnut Relish

Made with peak-season fennel charred in a cast-iron pan, this silky soup is the perfect way to show off its beautiful flavour. Look for fennel bulbs that have plenty of feathery fronds still attached and use as many of those as you’d like in the relish—they bring a bright freshness to it.
Ingredients:
Soup
2 large fennel bulbs
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tbsp (45 mL) salted butter
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 cups (1.5 L) no-salt-added chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup (125 mL) heavy cream (35%)
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped chives
1 tbsp (15 mL) strained fresh lemon juice
Relish:
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped toasted walnuts
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped chives
1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) roughly chopped fennel fronds,
Roasted walnut oil to garnish
Directions:
Position rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 450°F (232°C).

For the soup, trim fennel bulbs, reserving fronds for relish. Save stalks for stock. Remove any bruised outer layers of bulbs, if necessary. Cut each bulb through the core into quarters. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel, cut sides down. Cook, undisturbed, until one cut side is deeply browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn each wedge so cut sides are facing up. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to centre of oven and roast until edges are charred and cores are almost tender when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until shallots are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add charred fennel and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover with lid. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fennel is very tender, 10 to 14 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in cream, chives and lemon juice. Using an immersion blender, purée until very smooth. (Alternatively, soup can be transferred to a blender in batches and puréed.) Adjust seasoning, if necessary. (Cooled soup will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 2 days. Reheat over medium heat.)

For the relish, combine walnuts with chives and fennel fronds in a small bowl.

Ladle soup into warmed bowls. Garnish with relish and drizzle with walnut oil. Serve immediately.    Serves 6 to 8

Roasted Squash And Fennel Bake .

Roasted Squash And Fennel Bake

I always assemble the recipes early in the month for my Thanksgiving dinner. With the cooler weather, appetites are set for a hearty meal. This is a dish that I will serve.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, halved, seeded, and chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 fennel bulbs, halved lengthwise, cored, and chopped,

plus 2 Tablespoons chopped fennel fronds (optional)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

***

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss together the vegetables and seasonings and toss until well coated. Place in a rectangular baking sheet and roast until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 1 hour.